6 min read•june 18, 2024
Daniella Garcia-Loos
Kanya Shah
Daniella Garcia-Loos
Kanya Shah
exists whenever an object is being pulled towards an equilibrium point by a force that is proportional to the displacement from the equilibrium point. Two common examples of SHM are masses on a spring (one that obeys ) and a (with a small angle displacement)
Classically, the of an object interacting with other objects can be predicted using F = ma.
To use to solve a problem, you can follow these steps:
Restoring forces can result in oscillatory motion. When a linear is exerted on an object displaced from an , the object will undergo a special type of motion called simple harmonic motion
Here are some key points about restoring forces:
is the height of the motion measured from the equilibrium point.
is the time that it takes for an object to complete one full cycle of its motion. The period is measured in seconds and is the inverse of the (measured in Hz).
In the above equation, 𝜔 is the of the object. This will be covered in detail in Unit 7: Torque & Rotational Motion
For a pendulum, the period of the oscillation can be described using the equation:
Where L is the length of the pendulum, and g is the .
Looking at the equation, we can see that the period is proportional to the square root of the length. So a shorter pendulum will have a shorter period, and vice versa. In fact in order to double the period, we’d need to quadruple the length.
The period for a mass on a spring has a very similar equation. The only main difference is that the spring’s period doesn’t depend on length and acceleration due to gravity, but rather the mass hung on the spring and the spring constant. For a more in-depth derivation, check out this link.
When dealing with pendulums and springs, a lot of the questions you’ll be dealing with refer to the velocities, forces, and accelerations at various locations in the oscillation:
A mass of 1 kg is attached to a spring with a spring constant of 50 N/m and is allowed to oscillate vertically in a frictionless environment. The mass is initially displaced 0.2 meters from its equilibrium position and released from rest. What is the period of the oscillation?
Solution:
The period of an oscillation is the time it takes for the oscillating object to complete one full oscillation. For a simple harmonic oscillator, the period is given by the formula: T = 2pisqrt(m/k), where T is the period, m is the mass of the object, k is the spring constant, and pi is a constant equal to 3.14.
In this problem, the mass of the object is 1 kg, the spring constant is 50 N/m, and pi is 3.14.
Therefore, the period of the oscillation is: T = 2(3.14)sqrt(1 kg / 50 N/m) = 0.89 seconds
This means that the period of the oscillation is 0.89 seconds.
Example Problem 2:
A mass of 2 kg is attached to a spring with a spring constant of 100 N/m and is allowed to oscillate vertically in a frictionless environment. The mass is initially displaced 0.5 meters from its equilibrium position and released from rest. What is the period of the oscillation?
Solution:
The period of an oscillation is the time it takes for the oscillating object to complete one full oscillation. For a simple harmonic oscillator, the period is given by the formula: T = 2pisqrt(m/k), where T is the period, m is the mass of the object, k is the spring constant, and pi is a constant equal to 3.14.
In this problem, the mass of the object is 2 kg, the spring constant is 100 N/m, and pi is 3.14.
Therefore, the period of the oscillation is: T = 2*(3.14)*sqrt(2 kg / 100 N/m) = 0.89 seconds
This means that the period of the oscillation is 0.89 seconds.
🎥Watch: AP Physics 1 - Problem Solving q +a Simple Harmonic Oscillators